a) How do I start the process of certification?
You only have to complete the form (available on-line) “request certification documents” with the relative company data and the products to certificate.
You will receive the economic Offer and the first set of documents to fill and send back in double copy, that is to say: Disciplinary, Notification, Service contract, confidentiality agreement.

b) Which documents do I need to send and to who?– Notification: it has to be compiled and sent to our offices together with a copy of a valid ID card of the owner of the company, or of his/her legal representative (in case of society).– Service contract: send a double copy, we will countersigned it and then send back a copy to the operator.– Economic offer: it must be signed for acceptance and it will be integral part of the service contract (send a double copy).– Confidentiality agreement: send a double copy, we will countersigned it and then send back a copy to the Operator.

Then, the technical documents (according to the request of the cosmetics office) concerning the formulation of the documents to certificate must be sent. All the documents must be sent to the following address: Uff. Cosmesi- Ecogruppo Italia srl – via P. Mascagni, 79 – 950129 Catania or via PEC with digital sign to the address cosmesi@pec.ecogruppoitalia.it

c) How much time does it take to obtain the certification?The timing of the document received depends on the velocity of the requesting company in sending the documentation necessary to the entity. It usually takes from 1 to 6 months.

d) I need to vary the company/structures/products data in relation to the what I have previously communicated in first notification. What to do?You must compile a new “notification”, selecting the box “request for modification” on the frontispiece and introducing the the new data and/or products to certificate.

a) I need some clarification in order to complete the documents/registers. To who do I have to talk to?
To the national headquarter of Catania. Following, you can find the areas of competence:
– inspections, registers and products usage, attestations and certificates: Cosmetics Office;
– administrative matters: Administrative Office.

b) What is the inspection about? How it is notified?
The inspection is a text made by the Ecogruppo Italia inspector technicians on the application of the voluntary disciplinary.
The verification is set a couple of days before the inspection, by informing the operator by phone and/or via email.

c) How does the control take place in the company?
The control is divided in two parts: the first is aimed at a verification of the places and the production techniques; the second phase is instead destined to verify the documents established by the regulation, and drafted by the operator. The two phases bring to the issuing of an opinion on the operator compliance. The documents under examination are: the company registers, fiscal documents, documents concerning the certification of the purchased and/or sold products, other documents that might have any kind of correlations with the organic/natural production activity of the company.

d) Are there any mandatory references to put in the label? Does it need to be approved?
Other than the references mandated by law (cosmetics disciplinary Reg CE 1223/2009) it takes to put the necessary references concerning the dictates of the kind of certification that is needed (that is to say, if you want to certificate according to the Natrue standard or the Ecocosmetics standard). According to our “Ecosmetics quality” standard, the label of the product must feature:

The organic or natural entity of the product, stressed by the mandatory indication of “Biological Cosmetic”, “Natural Cosmetic”, “Biological Raw Material” or “Natural Raw Material”;

The logo that identifies the the certification and the OCC name;

The authorization number released by the OCC;

“X% of the ingredients of natural origin”;

“X% of the crop ingredients comes from organic farming”;

“X% of the ingredients comes from organic farming”;

In the INCI of the product, all the ingredients must be printed with the same color, format and character; the ones coming from the organic farming must be marked with an asterisk that in the legend report the indication “Obtained with organic production methods” or “From organic farming”.

a) What documents certify that my company and its products are organic? How do I have to use these documents?The certified company demonstrating that its products undergo to a procedure of control must show the Conformity Certification. A document that reports the company information and those concerning the products/procedures/services subject of the certification. That is to say the list of products certified and for each of them the level of certification obtained- the conformity certification must be exhibited always in photocopy, while the company must always keep saved the original.

b) How can I request a certification document?
You have to send a request, by email or fax, to the Ecogruppo Italia Cosmetic Office of Catania, specifying the kind of document needed. The same procedure has to be applied for the duplicates.

c) What is the time required to obtain a certification?
If everything is correct, then in seven working days the expected document or the integration request of the incomplete or missing documents will be sent to the company address. The possible anticipation of the document related contacts (fax number, e-mail address) must be explicitly indicated in the request.

d) I have to print the labels, which obligations do I have to observe?
It takes to compile and send to the Ecogruppo Italia Cosmetic Office the form “Authorization request for labels printing” attaching the proof print of the possible label. The cosmetic office will authorize the printing data and will assign the code that must appear on the label, along with the indications concerning the product certification.

a) I’ve been penalized, what do I have to do?
The penalization derives from the identification of one or more non-conformities recognized by Ecogruppo Italia. The penalizations can provide for corrective actions in order to solve the identified non conformity. The corrective action is specified with the penalization communication. All the communications that involve eventual non-conformities observed during the inspection must be submitted to the Cosmetic Office and not to the same inspector who made the supervision.

b) I don’t want to benefit from the certification anymore, what do I have to do?
You only have to send to the local authority and to Ecogruppo Italia, a written communication – or an eventual PEC with digital signature to the following address: cosmesi@pec.ecogruppoitalia.it indicating the will to withdraw from the commitment taken. The letter, signed in original, must be send along with a valid ID document.

a) How is the rate calculated and what is included in the service?
The rate originates from the application of the annual tariff import and it is based on: nature of the existing cultivations, relative extension invested, entity and kind of farming. The rate includes all the services supplied by Ecogruppo Italia, including the lab analysis expected by the Annual Plan of Control and the emission of the documents of certification.

b) How can I ask for a quote?
You just need to contact our Administrative Office or send an email to the address amministrazione@ecogruppoitalia.it

c) How will I receive the rate and how can I pay for your services?
The cost of the service is notified via post or email to the address you had specified. In the communication, you must also indicate the banking parameter. As a consequence of the payment, the relative invoice will be sent.